Illuminated handbag



March 18, 1958 s. HOFFMAN 2,827,559

ILLUMINATED HANDBAG Filed Jan. 26, 1956 38 w 28 A 30 t/lg il QM? i SAM HOFFMAN A TTORNE Y INVEVTOR.

z Y W United States Patent mLUrvnNArEn HANDBAG Sam Hoifman, Dallas, Tex. Application January 26, 1956, Serial N 561,431

1 Qlaim. c1. 2406.45)

This invention relates to handbags and has reference to means for illuminating the same.

Although illuminating means have been devised for handbags heretofore, a prevalent objection to such means has been a permanent attachment of illuminating devices to handbags. Integral construction of illuminating means with a blue handbag for instance, might have the effect of providing illumination only when the owner of such a handbag chooses to wear a blue dress or on the other hand, provision of many handbags each with its own illuminating means would entail maintenance of a number of illuminating devices with high initial expense. The usefulness of a handbag illuminating device is readily apparent, that at certain daytime occasions the owner of a handbag would have little use for artificial illumination and indeed might find better use for space occupied thereby. Since owners of handbags are not necessarily skilled in mechanical and electrical arts a further shortcoming of some handbag illuminating devices has been a complexity of their construction wherein used batteries and burned out bulbs are not easily replaced, and wherein the arrangement of components does not follow that of more familiar illuminating appliances.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device for illuminating the interior of a handbag so that articles may be readily located therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide an illuminating device which is automatically switched on when the bag is open and which is automatically switched off when the bag is closed.

Another object of the invention is to provide switching means for a handbag illuminator, which switching means is so constructed and located that the illuminator may be manually switched off when the bag is open if so desired. v j V A particular object of the invention is to provide an illuminating device which may be easily removed from or attached to a handbag.

' A further object of the invention is to provide a handbag illuminator adapted for attachment to and operation within various handbags of different dimensions and styles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device with few parts and simple construction for illuminating the interior of handbags.

An important object of the invention is to provide a handbag illuminator wherein parts are easily accessible and wherein the arrangement of parts generally conform with the construction of more familiar illuminating appliances such as flashlights.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a handbag illuminator which is economical in construction, light in weight, and which occupies little space in a handbag.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing, wherein:

2,827,559 Patented Mar. 18, 1958 Figure 1 is a perspective View with a handbag and In the drawing, a handbag 10 is typically constructed with a flexible pocket receptacle 11 attached to and, depending from the perimeter of a pivoting frame com-. prising two flat U-shaped frame members 12 joined to one another by hinges 13 attached to their respective ends.

frame members 12 are substantially parallel to one another and are positioned in approximate congruence. A fastener projection 14 is secured to the periphery of one frame member 12 at a position in the approximate cen-. ter of the closed portion thereof and a conventional decorative fastener member 15 is attached at a correspond position on the other frame member.

A cylinder 16 of light gage metal such as aluminum or tin plate is provided with an inwardly projecting annular flange 1'7 at one of its ends; the interior wall at the other end of the cylinder 16 is provided with threads 18. An interior cylinder 1% extends through the opening in the annular flange l7 and into the cylinder 16 where the inner end thereof is provided with an outwardly projecting annular flange 2%. The outer diameter of the outwardly projecting flange 26 corresponds with the inside diameter of the cylinder 16 and the inside diameter of the inwardly projecting annular flange 17 corresponds with the outside diameter of the inner casing 19. The outer or projecting end of the inner cylinder 19 is provided with threads on its interior walls.

by engagement with corresponding threads 18, and a sprin clip 23rcentrally secured to the cap 22 projects outwardly of the cylinder 16. The clip 23 is comprised of substantially parallel leaf spring jaws 24 for gripping a side portion of one frame member 12.

A conventional dry cell battery 25 is positioned within cell battery 25. An insulated cylindrical switch housing 27 is positioned within the inner cylinder 19 inwardly of the dry cell battery 25, which housing may be constructed of any conventional insulating material such as molded Bakelite or machined phenolic laminate. lar openings 28 adjacent the insulated housing 27 are located in opposite Walls of the inner casing 19 and cylindrical projections 29 integral with the insulated housing 27 extend outwardly through the circular openings 28. Bearings 3'? in coaxial alignment with the cylindrical projections 29 are line drilled through the insulated housing 27. A resilient electrical conductor 31 is attached to an end wall of the insulated housing 27 as by cementing or integral molding and one end of the resilient conductor 31 bears upon a terminal 32 of the dry cell battery 25; the other end of the resilient conductor 31 projects inwarclly of the insulated housing 27. A second resilient conductor 33 is attached in like manner to the other end wall of the insulated housing 27 and opposite ends of the second resilient conductor 33 project oppositely from that end wall respectively outwardly and inwardly of the cylindrical housing 27. An armature shaft 34 extends through the insulated housing 27 and is journalled in the The frame members 12 may be turned on their. hinges 13 so that when the handbag 10 is closed the A threaded cap 22 is attached to the threaded end of the cylinder l6;

CiIcuinsulated bearings 30. An armature 35 comprising a flat rectangular metallic conductor is located within the cylindrical housing 27 Wherefit is attached, as by soldering, to the armature shaft 34 and is disposed perpendicular' thereto. The armature 35 is long enough to extend between the inwardly projecting ends of the resilient conductors 31 and '33 and 'arrangedjso thatopposite ends of the armature will simultaneously contact said resilient conductors. A coil spring 36 is positioned about the i armature shaft 34 within the'cylindrical housing 27 at one side'of the armature 35. One end 37 of the coil spring 36 is attached to an interior wall of the cylindrical housing 27, and the other end 38 of the coil spring 36 is hooked about one end of thearmature 35. Tension of the spring 36 which provides pressure on the armature 35 normally holds the opposite ends of the armature in elecaperture 44 is provided through a wall of the inner,

cylinder 19 opposite thefilament of the electric light bulb 40.

A second clip45 of construction similar to the clip 23 is attached to'the outer side of a cap 46, which corresponds with the described cap 22, and which second clip 45 is provided with threads 47 for engaging the threads 21 within the outer end of the inner cylinder 19. One end of the armature shaft 34 projects outwardly of the insulated housing 27 where a lever 48 laterally projects from the armature shaft 34 and is arranged to contact the bag frame member 12 opposite the one to which the present device is attached.

In operation, the'clips 23 and 45 are attached manually to side, portions of oneframe member 2 of a handbag by compressing and releasing the cylinders 16 and 17. The inner cylinder 17 may be adjustably positioned within the outer cy1inder 16 so that the effective length of the invention may be accommodated to handbags of various dimensions. The coil spring 26 within the outer cylinder 16 provides expansion between the clips 23 and 45 to provide constant engagement with the bag frame member 12, and also against the dry cell battery 25 to keep the battery terminal 32 in electrical contact with the first described resilient conductor 31; The inwardly directed'fiange 17 of the cylinder 16 and the outwardly directed flange 20 of the inner cylinder 19 maintain coaxial alignment between the two cylinders 16 and 19 and prevent separation of the cylinders 16 and 19 when the clips 23 and 45 are disconnected from the bag frame 12. It will be noted that the armature 35 makes or breaks electrical contact betweenterminals 32 and 39 of the dry cell battery 25 and the elcctric light bulb 40, and that the cylinders 16 and 19 and the coil spring 26 co actively serve as a second electrical conductor between,

the other electrical terminals of the dry cell battery 25 and the electriclight bulb 40 to complete the filament circuit of the electric light bulb 40. It is to be understood that the aperture 44 and the elongated end of the armature shaft 34 are positioned with respect to one another so that when the armature shaft 34 is adjacent the frame member 12 the aperture 44 will be downwardly directed into the pocket 11 of the handbag 10.

When the frame members 12 of the handbag 10 are pivoted away from one another on their hinges 13, tension from the coil spring 35 within the'insulated housing 27 forces opposite ends of the armature 35 against inward projecting ends of the resilient conductors 31 and a 33. Rotation of the armature 35 involvesrotation of the shaft'34, to which ,it attached, and spring tension from the spring 36 likewise rotates the lever arm.48

' from a position parallel with the frame members 12 toward a position perpendicular thereto. When the handbag 10 is closed the lever arm 48 positioned between the closed portions of the frame members 12 is forced into a position parallel therewith and the opposite ends of the armature 35 break contact with the inwardly projecting ends of the resilient conductors 31 and 33.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary con struction herein shown and described but may be made in various wayswithin the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is: An illuminating device for handbags having hinged U-shaped frame members, said device comprising inner and outer telescoping cylinders, closure caps on extending ends of said cylinders, one said cylinder having an opening in the side thereof, a light bulb mounted in the last said cylinder andin electrical contact therewith, said References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 953,425 Miller Mar. 29, 1910 1,607,647 Seikot Nov. 23, 1926 2,465,029 Meggs Mar. 22, 1949 2,540,470 Baugh Feb. 6, 1951 2,605,987 Brown et al. Aug. 5, 1952 2,647,201 Contento July 28, 1953 2,704,804 Eames et a1 Mar. 22, 1955 1 

